I know its been done but I am doing it again CIGARMONY

[SilverFox]

I have had the opportunity to place a couple of orders at Cigarmony over the past few days and had some interesting quirks in how I wanted my orders handled that I posted in the special instructions.

All I can say is Mark is a top notch retailer with excellent customer service, lighting fast communication and a willingness to go that extra mile to be sure you are satisfied.

If only I could find retailers in the city for other things in life like the ones I get from the various folks that frequent CS, specifically in this case Mark from Cigarmony.

Thank you for going the extra mile Mark it is appreciated and won't be forgotten.

Much respect,

Shawn

 

[Munkey]

Perhaps we are seeing a resurgence of the mom & pop stores of the past. We've seen free enterprise dwindle and die in small town America (I'm sure in Canada as well) as large commercial entities come in with cheap goods and little service forcing small local businesses to collapse. One of my favorite bakeries is not a chain. It started in and remains in a tiny pittance of a store off the beaten path where rent is cheaper. Personal service with a smile is not only a hallmark of these stores, but becoming more appreciated in our world of e-mail generic customer service with no contact with our vendors. Sorry to thread jack, but the homogenization of everything over the last decade or so has really started to bother me. I'll give support to the small shop anytime I can. To bring this back to point, Mark does this with passion and that's priceless.

 

[shilala]

Perhaps we are seeing a resurgence of the mom & pop stores of the past. We've seen free enterprise dwindle and die in small town America (I'm sure in Canada as well) as large commercial entities come in with cheap goods and little service forcing small local businesses to collapse. One of my favorite bakeries is not a chain. It started in and remains in a tiny pittance of a store off the beaten path where rent is cheaper. Personal service with a smile is not only a hallmark of these stores, but becoming more appreciated in our world of e-mail generic customer service with no contact with our vendors. Sorry to thread jack, but the homogenization of everything over the last decade or so has really started to bother me. I'll give support to the small shop anytime I can. To bring this back to point, Mark does this with passion and that's priceless.

With times as tough as they are, many people have fewer and fewer dollars for anything, let alone hobbies and entertainment.
That's the catch22. If the "product" is the only entertainment value, price is going to be the end all be all. Usually mom and pop's can't come close.
If I truly value personal service, and the product is only part of the entire experience, then price is only part of the equation.
For example, I'm very willing to pay a $x.xx more to sit in smoke a cigar in great company at a b&m, etc. I will also spend $x.xx more to talk to a real person on the phone and be treated like a "special customer". That's a value in itself.
If I can trust a vendor like Mark at Cigarmony or Rob at Taboo to do right by me, there's no reason for me to go anywhere else.
That's where loyalty comes in. I feel I need to be loyal to the person who takes care of me.
If I truly appreciate the way I'm treated, it's easy for me to forego all the "nearly free" stuff I see in my emails. I don't buy a whole lot (hehehe) but if I focus all my purchases in one place, I can truly help support that "little guy". So I try to do that. I've given up on the devil site almost completely and stopped "shopping".
If I need something I call Rob.
And I know he appreciates it. And I know he'll be fair to me.
That kicks ass. And it's all I wanted in the first place.